Information, Information, Information!

By Robert W. Johnson, AIA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA

The name of the game used to be building a library with design and construction information. How extensive was your collection of trade association reference standards, manufacturer's catalogs, UL listings, ASTM standards, etc.? The latest and greatest was to have a database of everything in your library so that you could search it and sort it for various purposes.

The Internet has changed all that. Now the problem is how to deal with all the information that is available to us. How well are we able to search the Internet to find what we are looking for? The problem is usually not a problem of finding information; but rather finding too much information on the subject and related subjects. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff? After we download something, how do you file it so that you and everyone else in your firm can find it later? How do you find the products among multiple manufacturers with the particular characteristics you need for your project?

If the subject is an element, assembly, or system of a building, we have UniFormat™. But if the subject relates to other than building construction, we are in trouble since UniFormat™ is limited to buildings and related site work. We also do not have any tools for the classification of project types, the process, the phases, construction aids, the participants, etc.

Help is on the way. An industry-wide movement called the Overall Construction Classification System (OCCS) with over 40 different organizations represented is attacking the problem. The goal is to create a classification system that covers the entire built environment from inception to demise. OCCS is operating under the following principles:

Create an open standard with broad industry participation;

Follow new ISO international standards for such classification systems;

Be North American in scope and use existing legacy systems where appropriate.

What does this new OCCS classification system look like? It is a system of twelve related tables or in reality, a relational database. See the sidebar for a listing and abbreviated summary of the tables.

The OCCS tables are organized in a faceted, rather than an enumerative manner. Objects may be comprehended from multiple perspectives, or facets. The intersection of these locations among the tables provides for the detailed classification of an object. For example, let's classify a structural steel railroad bridge. In an enumerative classification system one would have to make a choice of classifying it as a structural steel item, a bridge, or part of a railroad. In a faceted set of tables such as OCCS, all three characteristics may be accounted for: Railroad in Table 01 - Facilities, Bridge in Table 02 - Constructed Entities, and Structural Steel in Table 12 - Attributes. Other examples:

Structural Analysis by Vibration Consultant during Design Development:
	Design Development in Table 07 - Process Phases;
	Structural Analysis in Table 08 - Process Services;
	Vibration Consultant in Table 09 - Process Participants.
Interior Partitions of Metal Studs/Gypsum Board with STC over 45:
	Interior Partitions in Table 04 - Elements;
	Metal Studs/Gypsum Board in Table 04A - Designed Elements;
	STC over 45 in Table 12 - Attributes.
Paving for Plazas for Office Buildings:
	Office Building in Table 01 - Facilities;
	Plazas in Table 03 - Spaces;
	Paving in Table 04 - Elements.
Hydraulic Passenger Elevators with Minimum Capacity of 10,000 Pounds (4540 kg):
	Hydraulic Passenger Elevators in Table 06 - Products;
	Minimum Capacity of 10,000 Pounds (4540 kg) in Table 12 - Attributes.
Articles on Pumping of CIP Concrete for Dams:
	Dams in Table 02 - Constructed Entities;
	CIP Concrete in Table 05 - Work Results;
	Pumping in Table 10 - Process Aids;
	Article in Table 11 - Process Information.

In this manner, a detailed subject can be classified to whatever degree of detail that is desired.

The first preliminary set of OCCS documents are being published in October with the primary purpose to obtain industry-wide review and comment and to increase participation in the group. You can find the OCCS tables and explanations in PDF files at the OCCS web site www.occsnet.org. Take a look at the tables and respond to the OCCS group with your constructive criticisms. Better yet, join the group in helping to produce a new classification system for the new age of information!

For more information, or to join the OCCS Development Committee, contact Greg Ceton, OCCS Technical Coordinator, at gceton@csinet.org.

OCCS Tables

About the author: Robert W. Johnson, AIA, FCSI, CCS is a Past President of CSI, a Director of CSRF and Vice President and Director of Technical Resources at RTKL Associates, Inc. He can be reached at rjohnson@bal.rtkl.com.

The CSRF newsletter is published for SPECTEXT® subscribers and others involved in design and construction. To obtain your copy of Creating a Common Language®, please contact the CSRF Support Center by telephone at 1-877- SPECTXT or 410-838-7561 or you may e-mail us at supportcenter@csrf.org

©  Copyright 2007, The Construction Sciences Research Foundation, Inc.  Updated January 12, 2007.